Driver with 15 DUIs sentenced in Worcester court

WORCESTER 
A Foxboro man convicted of drunken driving — for what prosecutors said was the 15th time — was sentenced to almost a decade in prison Wednesday.

Worcester Superior Court Judge David Ricciardone told Kenneth I. Norman that he had squandered his life.

District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. was clearly irritated that Mr. Norman was still driving.

“When you convict someone for the 15th time for the same offense, it's absolutely mind-boggling that they could still get behind the wheel of a car,” Mr. Early said after the sentencing. “That shows the constant battle we have to keep problem drinkers off the road.”

Mr. Norman, 65, of Foxboro, was found guilty by a jury Tuesday on charges of drunken driving, driving after suspension of license and driving negligently. The case stemmed from a Sept. 14 early morning traffic stop on Route 146 in Millbury.

Mr. Norman has a Rhode Island license, but Massachusetts records show his right to drive here has been suspended since 1973. He has multiple drunken driving and other motor vehicle charges on his record dating back to the 1970s.

Mr. Norman told a trooper that he had only a couple of beers and gave conflicting answers about the status of his license, according to court documents from the September stop. The trooper said Mr. Norman's eyes were bloodshot, his speech slurred and the smell of booze was emanating from within Mr. Norman's truck.

After failing field sobriety tests, Mr. Norman was arrested on drunken driving charges, for what prosecutors said was at least the 15th time.

Judge Ricciardone sentenced Mr. Norman to 5 years in prison on the charge of driving under the influence of alcohol (fifth or more subsequent offense) and a total of 4-1/2 more years in jail for the other driving offenses. The sentences will run consecutively. Mr. Norman pleaded guilty to a probation violation as well. He received a two-year concurrent sentence for that offense.

“I suggest not only is he a danger to himself, but also the general public any time he is on the road,” Assistant District Attorney John H. Melander Jr. said.

Defense lawyer Gregory V. St. Cyr, who objected to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles record being used against his client, said Mr. Norman is a decorated Vietnam War veteran with a serious heart condition. Mr. Norman walked with a cane as he entered the courtroom.

The lawyer asked for less time in prison for his client, saying that Mr. Norman would not live long enough make it out of custody. Mr. St. Cyr filed an appeal right after sentencing.

“His family is quite certain even five years is a death sentence,” Mr. St. Cyr said. He stated Mr. Norman never hurt anyone and a “death sentence” for a couple of beers is over the top.

Mr. St. Cyr said evidence presented by the prosecution only proved one prior drunken driving conviction.

Mr. Norman's driving record is littered with drunken driving offenses, license suspensions and revocations, according to Massachusetts RMV records. His driver's license was out of Rhode Island, but Massachusetts Registry officials suspended his right to drive here in 1973, state Department of Transportation spokesman Michael Verseckes said Wednesday.

Mr. Verseckes called Mr. Norman's lengthy record a history of “problematic behavior.”

“He may not legally drive in Massachusetts,” he said.

The Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles said Thursday morning that Mr. Norman's driver's license has been suspended since 1985.